As many people prepare for a move, they come across items they’re on the fence about. They often wonder when they’ll want access to baby items or family heirlooms boxed in plastic bins. They think about the reality of the space in their new home and they contemplate if tons of sports equipment, such as bikes and skiis, will fit.

Deciding whether or not to bring items to your new home that you don’t use all the time can be tough. The challenge will likely be made easier, however, by examining whether you think you’ll need these things within arms reach or if a storage unit might be the best place for them.

If you’re not sure if certain items should be given a spot in your new home or not, consider the following suggestions. Maybe, instead of having direct access to specific belongings, you would fare okay with them being stored at a storage facility a short distance away.

Weed Out the Must-Keeps

To determine when you should use a self-storage unit, do a cursory lookover of your belongings. Set aside, or make note of, the things you immediately think “I have to take this with me” about.

For the items that you’re not sure about, consider how often you use them. If the answer is never, you can probably give away or donate these things to alleviate the amount of time, and cost, you spend on your move. If you haven’t touched the items in nearly a year, but think you’ll definitely need them at some point, these are the ones that make good candidates for a storage space. If there are belongings in your home that you haven’t used in more than a year, it might be cheaper for you to get rid of them and buy new ones should you ever want them.

If you are contemplating the fate of items with sentimental value, consider taking out extra insurance, taking the treasured items to live at a loved ones while you rent, holiday or de-clutter.

Determine the Price of Storage

After you’ve determined what you want to store, call local storage facilities and ask about the prices to store these things. You should have your list of items ready & dimensions of any odd/larger furniture items.

Figure out how much space will be needed and the monthly cost of the unit.

Ask about any mandatory insurance that will be added to the base monthly storage fee, & what the fee actually includes, eg: Gst? Basic Insurance? Is it a monthly rate of charge or charge pro rata? Exit Fees?

Do you want to relocate the items yourself? You might want to check this with your chosen removalist or storage facility.

Do you want somebody else to transport your items? This could be a much easier & safer option for your belongings.

Depending on where storage facilities are located, you may get price quotes that vary as much as $100 for the same exact size of storage unit. Evaluate how far you are willing to drive to access your items from storage, because adding just a bit of travel time may save you a lot of money.

Consider a Timeline

Think about how long you might need to use a self-storage unit. Ask yourself about your time frame for packing away old family china, boxes of holiday decorations, or other belongings. Consider whether or not you can put a time-limit on your self-storage space and get things out after, say, a year. Determine if you’re willing to pay indefinitely on storing your personal items, because extremely long-term storage can turn into a money pit.

Talk to your chosen company regarding storage deals for long-term Storage. You may get discounted for advising of your storing requirements.

These are some of the main considerations you’ll want to give regarding renting a storage space/unit. If you do decide to take most, or all, of your belongings with you when you move, feel free to call us to find out how to transport them most efficiently.